Piano Pedagogy Research: an Ethnographic Study of Strategies and Processes Used to Foster Expressiveness in Piano Playing in Children and Youth

Abstract

The successful teaching and cultivation of expressive qualities in piano students has been an area of growing interest in instrumental pedagogy in recent years. However, there has been relatively little research on the details of how to teach students to play expressively. It is of significance to the field of instrumental pedagogy that this area is investigated and that practical strategies that foster expressive playing are documented. This preliminary study was conducted using qualitative research methodology. Two case study piano teachers who were considered experts in their field and a selection of their private students were invited to participate in this study. A total of ten lessons were observed and documented, and two semi-structured interviews were conducted with the teachers. The main goal was to examine how the teachers taught their students to play expressively using different teaching strategies and document their pedagogical ideas on the subject of musical expressiveness. Although some interesting findings were discovered in the study, the small number of participants meant that the conclusions and generalisations made were limited. The findings of this research included a selection of teaching strategies proved to be effective in both the research literature as well as in the lessons observed. However, the most interesting finding was that a combination of strategies were often used by the two teachers to elicit and promote expressiveness in their students’ playing. A further interesting finding in the research was that both teachers believed it could be beneficial for students later in their musical learning if they were encouraged to be musically expressive in the early stages of their early childhood. This raises awareness and future research concerns on the significance of early childhood piano learning as well as how it can impact on expressive piano playing later on in life.